HAMILTON -- Throuogh 10 and a half games this season Nottingham High’s football team had attempted 168 passes - all of them by either senior Luke Westerberg or junior Stephen Adams.

In what would become the biggest pass of the season for the Northstars - and biggest catch - another quarterback made the throw.

Actually it was wide receiver Jameel Bailey, a junior, who made the throw Northstar fans may never forget.

When teammate Daviyon Davis made a leaping catch over two Long Branch defenders on the back line of the endzone, Nottingham had the only points it would need to go on to a 7-0 win over the Green Wave at Jim Wilno Sr. Memorial Field yesterday - a win that sends the Northstars to the second NJSIAA Central Jersey sectional title game in their history.

Jon Adams 10-1 Northstars will play defending C.J. champ Neptune for the title Saturday at 1 p.m. at Lions Stadium on The College of New Jersey campus in Ewing. Neptune (9-2), which defeated Allentown, 28-21, Friday in the other semifinal, won last season’s C.J. III title beating the team from the other end of Klockner Road - Steinert- at Rutgers, 48-27.

Nottingham’s winning play, was a bit of trickery concoted by Adams in hopes of catching the Green Wave unaware. They bit on the fake when Westerberg took the snap, turned to his left and pitched the ball to Bailey who was running to the right as if on a reverse.

It wasn’t, and in a second he stopped and fired to Davis who had reached he back line of he endzone and leaped high over two shorter defenders to make the biggest catch of his career.

“We had that one in our playbook, saving it for the right time,” admitted Adams. “Jameel was a quartrback on our freshman team three years ago so we knew he would throw. But he always wanted to be a wide receiver and I couldn’t get him to change his mind.”

The Northstars are lucky he didn’t, because now Bailey and Davis will be the answer to what is sure to become one of the great moments in Nottingham history.

“When I tell my kids years from now what I did to get us to the state championship I know they won’t believe it,” said Davis. “When I saw the pass coming I knew I could catch it, and just wanted for those two guys to jump before the ball got to us. I knew I could stay in bounds. It was such a great feeling.”

But it wasn’t time to celebrate until the defense did its part and secured its sixth shutout of the season and tied the school record with 10 wins.

After a scoreless first half in which it was outscored 88-58 in total offense, Nottingham saw the Green Wave take the second half kickoff and drive to midfield beore it punted and pinned he ‘Stars at the 30.

It took six plays to reach the endzone - three runs (two by Wroway Williams for 13) and three passes (two by Westerberg for 22). That set up a second down play at the 24 where Westerberg made the perfect pitch to Bailey who then made the perfect pass to Davis.

That’s when the defense lived up to its reputation and saved the day. After driving from the 10 to the other nine in 18 plays, Long Branch made itsd first blunder when QB Avry Griffin dropped back to pass by saw Ryan Maslagrino charging in.

Malagrino got the 9-yard sack and forced a fumble the ‘Stars eventually recovered at the 32. They couldn’t move, but soon got the ball back in better field position when Brett Roach failed to pick up a punt cleanly with three ’Stars surrounding following a fumble and 10-yard sack on Adams.

When both teams couldn’t get first downs the tension kept building until the defense took over and sacks Griffin twice to eventually end a last-ditch Wave drive to the 21 with 0:58 left.